Nov Sinn had been jailed for five years with a non-parole period of three years and six months after pleading guilty in the County Court to one charge of trafficking cannabis.

His daughter Angela, the head of the Melbourne drug syndicate, was jailed for six years with a non-parole period of four years after pleading guilty to the same charge.

But Court of Appeal Justices Geoffrey Nettle, Robert Redlich and Peter Almond on Wednesday upheld Nov Sinn’s appeal against his sentence and jailed him for four years with a non-parole period of three years.

The appeal judges said eight houses in Melbourne’s south-east had been used to cultivate cannabis between August 2011 and March 2012.

Police raided the houses on March 27, 2012, and seized 1542 cannabis plants.

The 71-year-old was arrested and initially lied to police about his role in the operation before admitting his involvement.

His role had been to dispose of remains of the plants, chemical containers and other garbage at the eight houses; deliver new plants and chemicals; buy hardware items and hydroponic equipment; assist harvesting; build drying racks for plants; and cut lawns.

He was given a Toyota van and occasionally received several hundred dollars from his daughter, a mother of four, who ran the drug empire and hired house sitters to live at the various properties.

Nov Sinn was born in Cambodia and during the country's Khmer Rouge regime he was arrested and jailed for five years before escaping and spending five years in a refugee camp in Thailand. He and his second wife emigrated to Australia in 1985.

Justice Almond said Nov Sinn’s daughter Angela, from his first marriage, had been the principal of a significant criminal enterprise designed to make substantial profits, whereas her father was engaged essentially to perform menial tasks for little reward.

‘‘Viewed in isolation, the appellant’s [Vol Sinn’s] sentence was within the range reasonably open in the circumstances,’’ the judge said.

‘‘The offending conduct involved participation in systematic and substantial cannabis cultivation.

‘‘Whilst the tasks performed by Sinn might fairly be said to be relatively menial, particularly the tasks relating to cleaning of houses and disposal of refuse, they involved a thorough commitment to the endeavour."

But Justice Almond said Nov Sinn should have received a lesser jail term given Angela had been jailed for six years when she was the head of the drug syndicate, and also because of his age and the fact he suffered from diabetes, elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and a haemorrhoid condition.